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The object of sectarianism: the material reality of sectarianism in Ulster Loyalism
Author(s) -
Cairns David
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of the royal anthropological institute
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.62
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1467-9655
pISSN - 1359-0987
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9655.00025
Subject(s) - sectarianism , entertainment , sociology , everyday life , subculture (biology) , phenomenon , northern ireland , gender studies , history , media studies , aesthetics , art , ethnology , political science , visual arts , law , philosophy , politics , epistemology , botany , biology
This article examines an important, and neglected, aspect of sectarianism in contemporary Northern Ireland: its embodiment in the material culture and everyday social practices of its antagonistic factions. Following a brief theoretical outline of sectarianism (characterized as a discursive formation), I describe this phenomenon as found in an Ulster loyalist community. I show how the material reality of sectarianism encompasses the everyday activities of these loyalists, including their ‘traditional’ culture of Orangeism and the spheres of sport, leisure, and entertainment. Within these everyday cultural practices, sectarian values are objectified and stored in fetishized objects, such as flags and banners, and in an oral culture of songs and slogans.